The New York Knicks have reunited four former Villanova teammates in All-Star Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, but reportedly won’t bring another one of their collegiate running mates on board this summer.
Knicks may pass on recreating Villanova core from 2016 NCAA title team next season
Former Knicks point guard and Villanova Wildcat Ryan Arcidiacono will be available for the Knicks to sign for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season. Albeit, per SNY’s Ian Begley, Knicks president Leon Rose is likely to forbear on linking him back up with his Wildcat buddies (h/t: Daily Knicks’ Jordanna Clark):
“Worth noting here: people familiar with the matter said late last month that it was unlikely that the Knicks would use their 15th spot to sign backup guard Ryan Arcidiacono,” Begley said.
Knicks: Ryan Arcidiacono is unlikely to get a third stint in New York
The 30-year-old played 20 games in his second stint with the Knicks last season and only saw 2.3 minutes of court time. He last saw a somewhat prominent role with the Chicago Bulls in 2020-21, where he put up 3.1 points on 37.3 percent shooting from three-point range in 10.2 nightly minutes of action across 44 games played.
The Knicks could use another playmaker on their roster, but not before they address their need for a backup center behind starter Mitchell Robinson. New York currently has Cam Payne, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek at backup floor general, meaning a player like Arcidacono would have to play exceptional defense, shoot lights out from distance, and possess microwave-like abilities as a scorer off the bench to get the edge over any one of those three Knicks point guards, who each do at least one of those things well.
Arcidiacono possesses the ability to control the pace of the game and plays with a high IQ. However, it is unlikely that he’ll get a chance to showcase that again in New York alongside the group of guys he led to an NCAA title in 2016.
